Five Drivers To Watch In The Southern 500 At Darlington

NASCAR Cup Series action at Darlington Raceway. (Christian Wilson/SWN photo)

By Christian Wilson, SWN Staff Writer & Photographer

DARLINGTON, S.C. (Sept. 2, 2026) – Sunday night, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Darlington Raceway for the 77th Cook Out Southern 500 and the first race of the Chase for the Championship!

Here’s an inside look at five drivers fans should watch for during this weekend’s event at The Track Too Tough To Tame.

1. Chase Briscoe 

Briscoe is looking for his third straight Southern 500 victory! The only driver to win three or more in a row is Jeff Gordon, who won the crown jewel four years in a row from 1995-‘98. In the last five races at the track, Briscoe has achieved three top-five finishes, led 342 laps, and boasts an average finish of 9.4.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has also finished every single start he’s made at Darlington, a remarkable feat. In the 2024 Goodyear 400, he finished fifth driving the Briscoe Racing white-and-red throwback car for Stewart-Haas Racing. In the 2024 Southern 500, shortly after SHR announced it would cease operations at the end of the season, Briscoe made a daring three-wide pass into turn three to take the lead and held off Kyle Busch to secure a spot in the playoffs with his first career Cup win.

Last September, Briscoe led 309 of the 367 laps en route to victory in the Southern 500, the opening race of the 2025 playoffs. Briscoe also won at the track in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series back in 2020.

However, earlier this year in the Goodyear 400, he led only four laps and wasn’t much of a factor in a 12th-place finish. A win on Sunday would not only get him closer to history, but would also give Briscoe an early lead in terms of Chase momentum. 

2. Tyler Reddick 

It’s hard to argue that Reddick is currently the best driver at Darlington Raceway. Since the introduction of the Next Gen car in 2022, Reddick has six top-five finishes, seven top-10 finishes, 397 laps led, and an average finish of 8.6 at The Track Too Tough To Tame.

In last September’s Southern 500, he survived an opening-lap door slam from Josh Berry to finish second behind Briscoe. In this year’s Goodyear 400 back in March, Reddick won the pole and led 77 laps en route to his fourth victory of the 2026 season.

Throughout most of the spring, it looked like Reddick was the clear favorite for the title. However, the summer was rough for the 23XI Racing driver, with an average finish of 20th in the last 12 races and a drop from first to third in points. Reddick needs a great run to start the Chase, not only as a confidence booster, but also to re-enter the conversation as a championship contender.  

3. Denny Hamlin 

Hamlin is always a favorite in the Southern 500, with three career wins in the crown jewel event. Hamlin leads active drivers with five wins, twenty top-10 finishes, no DNFs, an average finish of eighth, and an astounding 1,022 laps led at Darlington overall. 

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver's most recent Darlington victory came in the 2025 Goodyear 400. Leading the point standings heading into the Chase after clinching the No. 1 seed a race early, Hamlin has been the championship favorite again this season with four wins and four pole positions.

Will this year finally be Hamlin's year or will it end in disappointment again for the No. 11 JGR team? 

4. Chris Buescher 

Buescher has been one of the best drivers in the series at Darlington, but has yet to break through with a victory. Since 2021, Buescher has eight top-10 finishes, 63 laps led, and an average finish of 12.18.

In the 2024 Goodyear 400, the RFK Racing driver came very close to victory, starting third and leading 21 laps. However, with 10 laps to go, Reddick attempted to pass Buescher for the lead and the two made contact with the turn-three wall. The contact cut both of their tires, resulting in a disappointing 30th-place finish for Buescher.

It wasn’t the last time the two drivers clashed at Darlington, as they battled up front in this year’s Goodyear 400. In March, Buescher started sixth and led 41 laps, driving a Greg Biffle throwback paint scheme on his Ford Mustang. With 53 laps remaining in the event, Reddick hit him while he was coming to pit road for his final green-flag pit stop. Despite hard contact with the wall, a very frustrated Buescher rebounded to finish ninth.

In his last three Southern 500 starts, Buescher has finished third, sixth, and 10th, respectively. Starting off the Chase with a win would be huge for the No. 17 team, especially since his teammate Ryan Preece won at Daytona last Saturday. Will Buescher finally grab a victory at Darlington on Sunday or will The Track Too Tough To Tame strike again?  

5. Brad Keselowski 

Keselowski is one of the most strategic and experienced drivers in the Cup Series field. In a race where tire wear and avoiding the wall are key, Keselowski knows how to get it done. He has an impressive history at Darlington, with two wins, 572 laps led, 13 top-10 finishes, no DNFs, and an average finish of 11.72.

Keselowski won the 2018 Southern 500 while driving for Roger Penske and his most recent victory at the track was in the 2024 Goodyear 400 as co-owner of RFK Racing. He was very close to ending his winless drought earlier this year in March; leading a race-high 142 laps at Darlington, but was passed for the win by Tyler Reddick with 28 laps remaining.

Can Keselowski break through for his second Southern 500 victory on Sunday?

Broadcast coverage of the 77th Cook Out Southern 500 is slated for Sunday night, Sept. 6 at 5 p.m. ET, live on USA, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.